Program  

The conference begins on Thursday March 11 at The Fletcher School.
If possible, attendees are encouraged to participate in the pre- and post-conference events addressing topics that may not be covered at the conference.
 

Thursday February 26, 2004
6:00-8:00pm
Location: The Fletcher School Cabot 206

Pre-conference event: Sidet: Film screening and discussion

SIDET presents the stories of three Eritrean and Ethiopian women who each sought refuge in the Sudan. The film tells how they managed to survive displacement and create lives for themselves in exile. It is made in Tigriniya and Arabic with English subtitles.

It is written, produced and directed by Salem Mekuria; Mekuria Productions in association with Channel Four Television and Westdeutscher Rundfund. Cinematographer, Ned Johnston; Film editor, Iftach Shavit; Narrator: Salem Mekuria; Music, Adeyi Abrehet.

***PIZZA will be served***

Sponsored by The Fletcher School Africa Student Group
 

Thursday March 4, 2004
6:00-7:30pm
Location: The Fletcher School Cabot 703

Pre-conference event: Living in Exile: Refugees and Asylum Seekers Speak about Their Experiences

Dissatisfied with learning about refugee experiences from experts or textbooks? Then come hear two Sudanese Lost Boys, one Palestinian and one Tibetan speak about theirs. The moderator will be Maja Marjanovic, a Bosnian refugee and member of Refugee Roundtable.

***FOOD from Sabur Restaurant will be served***

Sponsored by The Fletcher School Refugee Roundtable and Tufts’ Feinstein International Famine Center
 

Monday March 8, 2004
6:30-8:00PM
Location: Harvard Law School, Pound Hall Room 107

Pre-conference event: Benjamin and His Brother: Film screening and discussion

An Arthur Howes film, this intimate film recounts the story of Benjamin and William Deng, brothers joined in the struggle of a seemingly never-ending exile, who are then separated when one is accepted into a United States resettlement program while the other remains in a Kenyan refugee camp. It is not only a film about the two brother's dreams and reality, it is also a film about war and suffering in their beloved South Sudan, lost childhood and
innocence, the trials of life as a refugee in foreign lands and the existing realities of survival. Real life in the so-called "Land of dreams" – America, is not an easy adjustment.

*** PIZZA will be served***

Sponsored by Harvard Africa Law Association
 

Tuesday March 9, 2004
5:00-7:00pm
Location: The Fletcher School, Cabot 205

Pre-conference event: The Price of Survival: A Journey to the War Zone of Southern Sudan
Film screening and discussion


*** PIZZA will be served***

Sponsored by The Fletcher School Africa Student Group
 

Wednesday March 10, 2004
6:00-8:00pm
Location: Kennedy School of Government, Fainsod Room

Pre-conference event: Women Waging Peace in Sudan

Purpose: How have women contributed to the war and peace in Sudan? Sudanese women activists and politicians will join together to answer this question and discuss how to mobilize women under a common agenda to promote their representation and roles during the peace process, interim period, and beyond.

Speakers:

• Muna Awad Khugali, Sudanese Women's Convention
• Suzanne Jambo, New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs Network
• Amel Gorani, Sudan Woman’s Care – Amal Trust

Moderator: Rogaia Abusharaf, Carr Center for Human Rights, Harvard University

***RECEPTION to follow***

Sponsored by KSG Africa Caucus and Tufts’ Henry R. Luce Professorship in Science and Humanitarianism

Conference Schedule

(subject to change)

Thursday March 11, 2004
Focus on the Peacemaking Process

Friday March 12, 2004
Focus on Peace Implementation

Thursday March 11, 2004 -  Focus on the Peacemaking Process

Registration
12:30pm
ASEAN Mezzanine

God, Oil, and Country: Sudan’s Long Road to Peace
1:30 pm
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose: This opening session will lay the groundwork for the next two days of discussion and debate, describing the parties and issues driving the ongoing peace process and why peace in Sudan matters. The moderator will begin with an overview of the traditional phases involved in ending armed conflict, citing common challenges faced by countries emerging from civil war, and explaining the importance of peace implementation. Then the first speaker will focus on the history of Sudan, describing the many causes and consequences of the war. Finally the second speaker will give an overview of the current peace talks, highlighting salient issues, the influence of third parties, the agreements to date, and the likely contours of the final comprehensive agreement.

Welcoming Remarks: Christine Makori, Fletcher School ‘05

Panelists:

• Dr. Osama Abdelgadier, Framingham State University
• John Prendergast, International Crisis Group

Moderator: Professor Ian Johnstone, Assistant Professor of International Law, The Fletcher School

Tea Break
2:35 pm
ASEAN Mezzanine

Sudan and Its Neighbors: Geopolitical Implications of a Sudanese Peace
2:45 pm
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose: The impact of the war in Sudan has extended far beyond its borders, disrupting regional security, trade, and development. Moreover each of Sudan’s nine neighbors has unique interests in the outcome of the peace process. This session will explore how three of these neighbors have affected and been affected by the war in Sudan, the geopolitical implications of peace in Sudan, and how these countries can help build the peace.

Panelists:

• Kirimi Kaberia, Deputy-Ambassador, Kenyan Embassy to the
  United States.
• Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Counsellor, Egyptian Embassy to the United States
• Joseph Kahiigwa, Minister Counselor, Ugandan Embassy to the United
  States

Moderator: Professor Jeswald Salacuse, Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law, The Fletcher School

Tea Break
4:45 pm
ASEAN Mezzanine

The Triumph of African-Led Negotiations? Brokering Peace in Sudan
5:00 pm
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose: At this moment negotiators from the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement are engaged in the potentially last round of peace talks. This session will offer a unique opportunity to hear the perspectives of these two parties and Norway, a key third party observer. Panelists will relate the significant achievements and stumbling blocks encountered along the way. They will also explore how the African mediators and other third parties have helped keep the main parties at the table, while consulting other parties, in an effort to craft an inclusive and implementable agreement.

Panelists:

• Ambassador Khiddir Ahmed, Sudanese Embassy to the United States
• Stephen Wondu, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Representative to the United States
• Fridtjov Thorkildsen, Senior Adviser/Coordinator of the Sudan Team, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Moderator: Professor Jeswald Salacuse, Henry J. Braker Professor of Commercial Law, The Fletcher School

Reception
6:30 pm
Hall of Flags

Dinner for speakers and invited guests
7:15 pm
Cabot 702

Friday March 12, 2004 -  Focus on the Peace Implementation

Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 am
ASEAN Mezzanine

Keynote: Mapping the Challenges to Peace Implementation
9:00 am
ASEAN Auditorium

Welcoming Remarks: Selma Hassan, Kennedy School of Government ’05

Keynote Speaker: Charles Snyder, Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

Purpose: If a peace agreement is signed, will peace or new conflicts emerge? How can the international community help the Sudanese parties follow up their written commitments to peace? As the principal Sudan policy maker at the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Snyder will map out the answers to these questions, while outlining the US assessment of the likely challenges and outcomes of Sudan’s peace implementation.

Promoting Physical and Human Security
9:45 am
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose: Security is the building block to peace in Sudan. As generations of Sudanese have known little but war both as a life and livelihood, it is vital to consider how to create tangible incentives for peace for both the soldiers and civilians on the frontlines. This session will begin with an overview of the relevant security agreements to date and likely implementation challenges, with special focus on the war in Darfur. Then the speakers will discuss key issues, including integrating and demobilizing the numerous armed forces, reintegrating the world’s largest number of IDPs and refugees, and encouraging reconciliation between the warring parties and also returnees and host communities. Finally speakers will address the inevitable mandate and operational conflicts that will arise between the interveners themselves as they attempt to promote physical and human security.

Panelists:

• John Prendergast, Special Advisor to the President, International Crisis Group
• Semir Tanovic, Program Specialist, International Rescue Committee
• Dr. Jok Madut Jok, Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Moderator: Dr. Robert Orr - Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government

Tea Break
11:15 am
ASEAN Mezzanine

Promoting Democratic Governance
11:30 am
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose: Political transformation is the most arduous, complex process that will define Sudan’s path to peace. Clearly this process will not be completed at the end of the interim period, but what steps must be taken to support this transformation? This session will begin with an overview of the relevant political agreements to date and likely implementation challenges, focusing on existing and new political institutions. Then panelists representing a wide range of political viewpoints will discuss some of the governance issues that must be addressed, including internal transformation of the two main parties, power-sharing, Constitutional review, self-determination, and the importance of mobilizing the many parties not at the table in order to promote democratic governance.

Panelists:

• David Hoile, Director, European-Sudanese Public Affairs Council
• Dr. Peter Kok, Director, Sudan-African Organization for Human Rights and the Rule of Law
• Dr. David Chand, University of Nebraska at Omaha
• Suzanne Jambo, Coordinator, New Sudanese Indigenous NGOs Network

Moderator: Dr. Robert Orr - Executive Director for Research, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government

Lunch
1:00 pm
Cabot 702 (Speakers and invited guests)
ASEAN Mezzanine (Attendees)

Promoting Just Economic Development
2:00 pm
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose: Sudan’s rich natural resources have blessed and cursed its people, with oil literally fueling the war. If a peace agreement is signed, the distribution of Sudan’s natural resources and the promised post-conflict reconstruction aid may help redress or reinforce historical patterns of marginalization. This session will begin with an overview of the relevant economic agreements to date and likely implementation challenges, focusing on the wealth-sharing clauses. Other topics to be covered include public/private partnerships, the role of the oil industry in Sudan’s reconstruction, conversion of military expenditures towards social sectors, and how just economic development may also help prevent future conflicts.

Panelists:

Moderator: Professor Diana Chigas, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Diplomacy, The Fletcher School

Tea Break
3: 30 pm
ASEAN Mezzanine

Promoting Strategic Coordination and Leadership
3:45 pm
ASEAN Auditorium

Purpose:  The final challenge to be explored may be the most elusive – coordinating all of the domestic and international actors involved in peace implementation. In this session, representatives of USAID, UNDP, the Government of Sudan, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement will explore how the main parties can work together and with the international community to implement the peace agreement, considering all of the challenges and potential solutions raised throughout the conference. The donor representatives will outline their post-conflict aid programs and which, if any, forms of peace conditionality will be applied to the parties. Finally the Sudanese parties will reflect on the conference proceedings, while describing their joint implementation and coordination strategies to lead Sudan towards peace and development.

Panelists:

• Fridtjov Thorkildsen, Senior Adviser/Coordinator of the Sudan Team, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Ambassador Khiddir Ahmed, Sudanese Embassy to the United States
• Stephen Wondu, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Representative to the United States

Moderator: Professor Diana Chigas, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Diplomacy, The Fletcher School

Closing Remarks
5:45 pm

Saturday March 13, 2004
11:00am-3:00pm
Massachusetts Sudanese Community Association
58 Winthrop Street
Medford, MA 02155
Contact: Afeefi Tabeidi, President MSCA
Tel: 617-719-7591
 

Post-conference event: Dialogue with the Sudanese Diaspora
 **NEW VENUE**

Purpose:  This gathering will give the opportunity to the Sudanese Diaspora communities around the Boston area to engage in constructive dialogue with the Sudanese Ambassador and SPLM Representative to the United States. Participants will engage in a moderated conversation about the potential obstacles that may inhibit a lasting peaceful solution to Sudan’s war, exploring the possibilities of reconciliation, and identifying the roles of the Diaspora in Sudan’s post-conflict transformation.

Speakers:

• Ambassador Khiddir Ahmed, Sudanese Embassy to the United States
• Stephen Wondu, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Representative to the United States

Contact: Afeefi Tabeidi, President MSCA - Tel: 617-719-7591

***Lunch will be provided***

Jointly sponsored by:
Massachusetts Sudan Community Association and Southern Sudan Solidarity Organization